elände

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish ælænde, answering to Danish elende; from Middle Low German elende, ellende, from Proto-West Germanic *alljas (“other”) + *land (“land”).

Noun

elände n

1. misery
   • 1982, “Banankontakt av tredje graden [Banana encounter of the third kind ["närkontakt av tredje graden" (close contact of the third degree) is idiomatic for "close encounter of the third kind"]]”, Lasse Åberg (lyrics), Janne Schaffer (music), performed by Electric Banana Band:

     Och dörren öppnas på raketen. Banankommandot kommer ut. "Nu sköter vi den här planeten, så eländet kan få ett slut."

     And the door opens on the rocket. The banana high command comes out. "Now we are running [taking care of, managing] this planet, so that the misery can come to an end."

2. something that causes misery or is miserable

   Den är maläten. Kasta eländet.

   It's moth-eaten. Throw the wretched thing away.

   Nu är fåglarna och äter i jordgubbslandet igen. Stick härifrån, era eländen!

   Now the birds are eating in the strawberry patch again. Get out of here, you wretches!

Declension

Declension of elände
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	elände	eländet	eländen	eländena
Genitive	eländes	eländets	eländens	eländenas

Derived terms

• eländig

See also

• jämmer

References

• elände in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• elände in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• elände in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)